Friday, July 04, 2008

Fireworks and Autism

Hi Everyone:

Happy 4th.

I was thinking that probably many of us have loved fireworks and had to forego the tradition if our child experiences Autism.

As a child, it was great fun to go to my Grandma's in Weiser, ID because we could sit outside in her yard and watch the fireworks. It was a family tradition both for me and for Billy Ray's Dad. However, after we adopted Billy Ray we found he couldn't tolerate them at all. We thought it scared him. Since he didn't get the Autism label until later in his childhood than most we didn't understand that the noise is intolerable for many who experience Autism.

One year Billy Ray and I went to spend the day with my secretary and her family who were camping on the Oregon coast. They begged us to stay and see the fireworks from a ship on the ocean. I said that Billy Ray couldn't handle it. They told me that the noise was muffled by the water so I decided to try. We loved it. If you ever get a chance to try it for your child who can't handle the noise, it's worth the effort.

Until Next Time,
Peggy Lou Morgan
www.peggyloumorgan.com

4 comments:

Mary P Jones (MPJ) said...

We've gotten lucky with fireworks, while my son hates the noise, he's entranced by the lights and seems to do fine if we hold our hands over his ears. Water sounds like a great idea. I wonder if we could manage that one year and give our arms a rest. :)

Maddy said...

Now that's something I never even considered. Thanks for the tip.
Cheers

Anonymous said...

It's the same thing with small kids. Fireworks seem like a great idea until you get there and they are so LOUD! We had to leave early last year because my almost 2 year old got scared.

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